One of the myths about the State Pension triple lock is that it is somehow a subsidy of the wealthy old by the impecunious young. A report released this afternoon by the studiously neutral, Pensions Policy Institute shows two key things: The triple lock has done the vast bulk of the work in improving pensioner…

The government’s Green Paper on corporate governance is expected today (Tuesday 29th November) and should include the government’s proposals for putting into practice the Prime Minister’s repeated commitment to have workers represented on company boards. As I blogged last week, there are three key tests by which the TUC will judge the government’s proposals for putting…

Over 450 public interest groups from across Europe and Canada – including the TUC – today published an open letter urging legislators to vote against the EU-Canada ‘trade’ deal known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). They joined forces to defend people and planet against the threats posed by the agreement, which still…

There were welcome signs in the 2016 Autumn Statement that the Chancellor has learned from his predecessor’s mistakes. The OBR forecast greatly increased borrowing (around £120bn more over 5 years) because they see uncertainties around the referendum meaning a weaker economy especially over the coming three years. But the government took the extra borrowing on…

Frances O’ Grady’s immediate reaction to the Autumn Statement was that Today’s OBR forecast shows that the average annual wage will be £1,000 lower in 2020 than predicted at the Budget. And this is on top of wages still having not recovered to their 2007 levels. This is yet another blow to ordinary working people’s…

At single parents’ charity Gingerbread, we’re campaigning to ensure the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is fit for purpose for the UK’s two million single parent families. Launched in September 2016, our campaign Maintenance Matters calls for a fairer charging system and zero-tolerance on non-payment of child maintenance. Today, there are 3.1 million children from single…

Last week we set out five tests for the Chancellor to meet for an Autumn Statement that works for everyone. Here’s how we think he’s done. Test 1: Set out a plan for a Brexit that protects working people’s jobs and rights. As the OBR make clear, Brexit is the biggest factor affecting the economy right…

The Chancellor’s announcement of a small cut in the Universal Credit taper rate goes nowhere near making up for the cuts his predecessor announced in July 2015, which will leave many low-paid working families hundreds – even thousands – of pounds worse off a year. As the End Child Poverty (*) coalition put it, today’s…

This afternoon in the #AutumnStatement Philip Hammond announced a number of measures that go some way to addressing the crisis we are facing in both the private and rented housing sectors. These include: A Housing Infrastructure Fund of £2.3bn by 2020-2021, funded by the NPIF (National Productivity Investment Fund) and allocated to local government to…

Philip Hammond committed to raising productivity in today’s Autumn Statement. A National Productivity Investment Fund worth £23bn will focus on infrastructure, including digital communications, and research and development. £23bn sounds like a lot of money; as Geoff has blogged elsewhere, it is actually less than it sounds, but it is a step in the right…